BLOSSBURG, Nov. 18 – Blossburg V.I.B.E. (Visions in Business and Entertainment) awarded grants Wednesday to Blossburg Main Street property owners Stephen (“Doc”) and Pat Ollock and Jill and Shane Nickerson for improvements to facades of their buildings at 228 and 242 Main Street , respectively.

The grant money was provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development as part of its New Communities Main Street program which seeks to revitalize Pennsylvania’s downtown areas through a four-point approach that encompasses design (such as the façade restorations, parking, signage and streetscapes), promotions, economic restructuring and organization. Blossburg V.I.B.E. was awarded $30,000 for planning and façade improvement grants in April.

Blossburg V.I.B.E. awards matching grants to property owners who have completed historically appropriate renovations to the façade of a building, up to $3,000. The design guidelines were developed by the design team in conjunction with Larson Design Group of Williamsport.

“We’re excited to be moving forward with this program and are very pleased with the success of our first award recipients. The Ollocks and the Nickersons are leading the effort to beautify Main Street and bring more attention to Blossburg,” said V.I.B.E. president Heidi Jones. “V.I.B.E. appreciates the time and money they’ve spent to make this happen.”

The Ollocks recently completed extensive renovations to the interior and exterior of their building at 228 Main Street , which now houses the Blossburg area Head Start program of Laurel Health Services. The façade renovations included redesigning the entry way, painting, cleaning and preserving original corrugated and plate glass windows, removing small basement windows and replacing them with architecturally appropriate wood panels. The Ollocks also plan to install an awning over the entryway.

The Nickersons painted the front of their building at 242 Main Street with an historically appropriate color scheme that highlights the fancy details of the late Victorian architecture. They also cleaned and restored the door and windows of the structure that were damaged in a fire in July 2003.

Blossburg V.I.B.E. (Visions in Business & Entertainment) is a nonprofit organization created in 2004 by the Blossburg Borough Council and Blossburg Improvement Association to envision, plan and implement projects that will enhance the quality of life for those who live, work, play or attend school in Blossburg.